2017 WMAA Instructors Camp

The annual WMAA Instructors Camp in West Seneca, New York was recently held the weekend of Aug 25/17. The energy and flow of this camp was second to none with lots of training, sharing and learning

Thursday evening was bonus training for those that were able to make it. William Hartke was the instructor for the evening. He brought us through a multiple attacker drill working off the 4 man box concept. This was a phenomenal drill which had everyone moving throughout the room and defending from all the different angle. Looking forward to seeing more of these drills in the future.

On Friday, Datu Tim Hartman started the camp with a review and break down of WMAA curriculum. Shortly after we were on the floor training with the focus being our Panantukan material. As usual Datu Tim touched on little nuance of the drills which cleaned up everyone’s execution.

After a short break we started on Grouping 1 from Balintawak Cuentada with Master Brian Corey. I really enjoyed Master Brian’s attention for detail throughout the session. His reaction and speed along with his ability to feed you through the drills leaves you with no doubt on why he is one of the top practitioners in the system.

During the lunch break the energy was still up so I brought the group through all the Baston Anyos cleaning up the subtle changes.

After lunch we continued working the Groupings adding to what we touched on before. It was good to see everyone flowing well through the drills by the end of the session. Finishing off the day, Datu Tim brought us through the Kombatan Doble Baston material and Hubud with various entries and finishes. Datu Tim’s structured approach to teaching allowed the progression of the drills to flow extremely well, clean and concise.

Saturday morning prior to the camp starting, I had the fortune to teach a sparring session for the Horizon Martial Arts children’s class. These kids were fast learners and full of energy. I had an incredible time working with them. Great way to start the day.

Saturday morning started off with Panantukan drills to get the blood flowing. It was nice to see everyone moving freely throughout the drills.

The Fernandez family were up next helping all the WMAA instructors with our Kuntaw forms. The group was split into two to allow us to get most out of our time with the instructors. Bernise and Francis led the group that were new to the forms and Danise led the group that was experienced with the forms. It was an excellent session with everyone cleaning up their techniques and benefiting from the help of these great instructors.

After lunch we continued with the Groupings from Balintawak Cuentada. By the end of the session, Master Brian had everyone moving through Grouping 1, 3 & 4. It was great to have him test my reaction and timing while feeding me through the drills.

Along with amazing training throughout the weekend, there was social aspect and comradery that keeps us close as group. Pizza and wings while watching the fights was a great finish to the day.

Sunday morning was review time to clarify material and answer any questions about curriculum. The focus for the remainder of the day ended up being Left on right Tapi Tapi. This was a great review and I felt clarified a lot for all those in attendance.

Incredible weekend at the WMAA Instructors camp. Great instructors, great training, and great camaraderie. What the WMAA is all about!